Apparently as part of the “One Big Beautiful Bill” there were provisions that provided a resurrection of the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) on July 4, 2025. This included Idaho Downwinders.
Director Tona Henderson of Idaho Downwinders is helping applicants navigate the process of filing claims.
The nonprofit organization has been advocating since 2004 for compensation for those affected by lethal radiation from Cold War-era nuclear weapons testing in Nevada. Henderson has continued the fight for over two decades in honor of her friend, Sheri Garmon, who was exposed to radiation and died of cancer in 2005.
Other states included in the bill are all of New Mexico and Utah, as well as parts of Arizona and Nevada.
Claimants must prove residence in a radiation fallout zone in states like Idaho for a year, ranging from 1951 to 1962, according to the U.S. Department of Justice. There are apparently are 19 types of cancer eligible for compensation under downwinders: Leukemia (but not chronic lymphocytic leukemia), multiple myeloma, lymphomas (other than Hodgkin’s), and primary cancers of the pharynx, small intestine, salivary glands, brain, stomach, urinary bladder, colon, thyroid, pancreas, breast (male and female), esophagus, bile ducts, liver, gall bladder, lung and ovary.
Access to the 24-page application form can be found on the Idaho Downwinders Facebook page. Henderson says it must be a complete, printed form and advises those filling out forms to complete it “a little bit at a time.”
“Some people are trying to do three claims at a time — themselves, their husband, their child and their parents,” Henderson said. “Just do the simplest one, which is yourself, get that done and sent off, then go to the next one, if you have multiple claims.”
The deadline to file new RECA claims is Dec. 31, 2027.
Henderson emphasized that the application process can be done entirely on your own. If you have any questions or need assistance, contact her at tonahenderson@hotmail.com.
Information and help is available at the Idaho Downwinders Support Group on Facebook. You can also go to downwinders.com website and fill out a preliminary form and after you submit it you will be contacted by a representative.